The Buddha’s hand citron, also known as the fingered citron, has been called ‘an immortal among fruits and a marvellous plant on the earth’. The fruit is distinctive, because of its golden yellow colour, deep fragrance, and unusual shape. The word ‘Buddha’s hand’ (foshou) sounds like ‘good fortune and longevity’ (fushou) giving the fruit a very clear meaning: May your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea and may you live as long as the Southern Mountain. The shape of a Buddha’s hand citron is very similar to the human hand, so both the homophone and the symbolism indicate that good fortune is at hand. The fruit also represents the hands of the Buddha and the perpetual safety offered under his protection. As a result of their significance, Buddha’s hand citrons have been favoured subjects in jadeite and precious stone ornaments.

The Chinese words for ‘bat’ and ‘good fortune’ are homophones (both pronounced fu), so bats (bianfu) signify ‘good fortune everywhere’ (bianfu). They are symbols of happiness, conveying a wish for boundless good fortune. Bats were an important decorative pattern in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and this influence from traditional Chinese culture is still felt today. Because designs must have meaning, and that.mes aning must be auspicious, double happiness and double good fortune multiply into endless good fortune.

This pendant depicting a Buddha’s hand citron with a pair of bats is carved in rare top-quality jadeite. The piece has a deep green colour, delicate texture, and superb craftsmanship. In its form, colour, texture, type, and artistry, this piece surpasses nature and fuses form and spirit, making it the highlight of any collects ion.

The Palace Museum has a similar jadeite Buddha’s hand citron pendant in its collects ion (Figure 1). The Buddha’s hand citron is carved from a single piece of jadeite. The emerald green of the jadeite is accented with a pink tourmaline bead, a delicate complement to this exquisite ornament. Because of the homophone, Buddha’s hand citrons are considered lucky, and they are often depicted together with peaches and pomegranates. These three fruits are called the “three abundances” (sanduo), symbolising a wish for abundant fortune, longevity, and children. Men would tie such ornaments at their waists, and women would wear them around their necks. This piece would likely have been worn by a consort in the Qing palace.

Buddha’s hand citron pendants have also been carved in materials other than jadeite. Treasures of the Court: A Compendium of Prized Artifacts from the collects ion of the Palace Museum contains two Buddha’s hand citron pendants in coloured gemstones: a sapphire Buddha’s hand citron (p. 62) and a ruby Buddha’s hand citron (p. 64). The sapphire Buddha’s hand citron (Figure 2) is naturalistically sculpted from a single piece of sapphire. The gemstone is a smooth, lustrous grey blue. Weighing more than 2,000 carats, this very rare piece was displayed as a valuable ornament in the Qing palaces. The ruby Buddha’s hand citron (Figure 3) is naturalistically sculpted with its fingers closed from a single piece of ruby. It has a glittering, glossy deep red colour and weighs more than 600 carats, making it exceptionally rare. The piece was also a priceless decoration displayed in the Qing palaces.

Finger citron has long been associated with fortune and longevity. Named as “Buddha’s hand”, it incorporates the power to ward off mishaps and pacify souls. Shen Fu, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, composed Six Records of a Floating Life, where his wife Yun speaks to him, “finger citron is like a man of noble character, who emanates a scent inadvertently.” Owing to its grace and modesty, finger citron was favoured by emperors and literati of all t.mes s. One plate of finger citrons in a study can perfume the whole room. It is found on studio tables, carved in jade and painted on fine porcelains. In the Qing Court collects ion, finger citron is incarnated on various works of art including jade carvings, porcelains, paintings, hand fans and plaques, all exquisitely rendered. The Book of Rites: Pinyi records Confucius’s observation, “the virtue of a superior man is likened to jade, mellow and lustrous, an exact embodiment of benevolence.” Jadeite signifies the virtue of a superior person, while finger citron represents the superior of all fragrances; emperors esteemed themselves as the superior one to reign with benevolence, resulting in an abundant employment of finger citron in the imperial treasures. Compare a jadeite ‘finger citron’ plaque in the Palace Museum, Beijing, smaller in size; The Complete collects ion of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jewellery in the Imperial Court is illustrated with two gemstone examples, a sapphire finger citron, cat. no. 57 and a ruby finger citron, cat. no. 59, both extremely rare.

佛手被稱為“果中之仙品，世上之奇卉”，果實色澤金黃，並且有濃鬱香氣，形狀奇特，頗具趣味。佛手諧音“福壽”，福壽兩字寓意簡單明瞭，福如東海壽比南山。而佛手的造型和人的手十分相似，所以不管是用諧音還是象徵等手法來表現皆為福氣在手之寓意。其又象徵佛陀之手，在其庇護下永保平安，所以佛手一直是翡翠玉雕，寶石擺件中備受尊崇鍾愛的表現題材。

“蝠”與“福”諧音，蝙蝠寓意“遍福”，象徵幸福，如意或幸福延綿無邊。而蝠紋也早在明清年間，成為了裝飾紋樣中的一個重要類別，受中國傳統文化的影響流傳至今。所謂圖必有意，意必吉祥，雙喜雙福，洪福齊天。

此件雙蝠佛手掛墜取材頂級珍罕翡翠，色澤濃綠，質地細緻盈潤，工藝舒雅流芳，可謂形，色，質，種，藝皆備，實乃巧奪天工，形神合一之收藏極品。

故宮博物院藏有一枚相似佛手掛墜『翠佛手佩』，見圖一，佛手佩以質地上乘的整塊翠做成，碧綠的色度，點綴粉色的碧璽珠，將小巧玲瓏的翠佩襯映得更加精緻。佛手因“佛”與“福”的諧音，被當作吉祥物，常與桃及石榴等圖案一同出現，並被稱為“三多”，即多福、多壽、多子之意。佩，男用系於腰間，女用掛於胸前，此件珍寶應為清代後妃所用。

佛手造型擺件掛墜不僅以翡翠形式呈現，《宮廷珍寶——故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系》中就收錄了兩件彩色寶石佛手擺件，分別為藍寶石佛手（62頁）及紅寶石佛手（64頁）。藍寶石佛手，見圖二，以整塊藍寶石雕琢成佛手形，形態自然，色澤灰藍，瑩潤光滑，其重達兩千餘克拉，世間罕見，為清宮珍貴陳設品。紅寶石佛手，見圖三，以整塊紅寶石雕琢成佛手形，狀如拳指，形態自然。色深紅，晶瑩光潤。此件紅寶石重達六百余克拉，尤為罕見，亦為清宮珍貴陳設品。

『佛手自古以來被人們寄予多福長壽之意願。佛手被譽為菩薩之手，能擋住災難、撫平心靈。清沈復著《浮生六記》中，芸娘對沈三白說：「佛手乃香中君子，只在有意無意間。」佛手優雅而低調，深得歷代文人騷客甚至帝王青睞。一盤佛手，令書齋滿室清香，可作案頭清供、精美玉雕，甚至繪於精美瓷器。清宮御品中也常見佛手身影，玉雕，瓷器、書畫、團扇甚至珮飾，無不精緻俊美。孔子《禮記．聘義》曰：「君子比德於玉焉，溫潤而澤，仁也。」翠玉象徵君子之德，佛手乃香中君子，而皇帝自喻为仁政之君，難怪宮廷珍寶中多見佛手身影。至於飾物，故宮博物院藏一例翠玉佛手珮，尺寸比本品稍小；故宮博物院珍藏文物珍品大系《宮廷珍寶》中著錄兩寶石例，藍寶石佛手，編號57及紅寶石佛手，編號59，甚為珍貴。 』- 李佳，香港蘇富比中國藝術部資深專家